Should richer countries; international agencies, NGOs and charismatic leaders ‘assist’ others to develop and manage their environments? It could be argued that people must do it for themselves, and there are countries that have considered or embarked on ‘decoupling’ their development from the rest of the world (Adams, 1990: 72, 83). However, problems in one country affect others, and it may require aid, at least at first, to resolve them. Environmental problems are often caused by poverty and can have global impacts. After 1945, the Eastern and Western blocs promoted their different styles of development; the Third World got caught up in the rivalry, or was neglected to pay for it. Both Western and Eastern blocs have generated serious environmental problems. Following the end of the Cold War in the late 1980s there is hopefully more funding to fight poverty and improve environmental management, and fewer restrictions on gathering and exchanging data, monitoring and policing the environment.